Food firms to profit from de-stress food and snacks
As growing numbers of consumers complain of stress, sleep deprivation and a lack of energy, manufacturers have an opportunity to provide feel-good food and snacks.
Canadean lead analyst Michael Hughes said the desire for moments of escapism and feelings of happiness will be most common when it comes to consuming products that are inherently associated with indulgence.
“When it comes to such feelings, consumers will be less attentive to issues such as calorie content and micronutrient levels of products such as fat and sugar levels. Instead, taste and enjoyment is everything,” Hughes told FoodManufacture.co.uk.
‘Taste and enjoyment is everything’
Three sectors where this will be particularly common are confectionery, savoury snacks and ice cream. This preference was encapsulated in the consumer trend identified by the firm called ‘Personal space and time’. “This trend is around consumers seeking out products that help them rest and unwind as an antidote to the pressures of everyday life,” he said.
In the UK confectionery market, 19% of consumption was influenced by this trend in 2013. In the savoury snacks market, 15% of consumption was influenced by the trend and in ice cream it was also 15%.
Despite the improving economy, many consumers still worried about rising living costs and paying everyday bills and expenses. More than a quarter (28%) of UK consumers were not confident about the state of the economy, while 24% indicated that they would confine grocery spending to essential needs this year, as they do not have the money to spend on treats, according to the research.
Three de-stress foods
- Confectionery
- Savoury snacks
- Ice cream
Indulgence foods
In addition to indulgence foods, the research revealed other ways stressed shoppers planned to unwind, with more than half (51%) committed to cutting their stress levels this year. About 40% intended to spend more time socialising with family and friends.
“The turbulent nature of modern life is taking its toll on consumers and this is why many of them are trying to make active changes to their lifestyles,” said Hughes. “Achieving feelings of happiness will be very important to consumers and this presents a good opportunity for grocery manufacturers that offer products that help facilitate this feeling.”
Consumers have a myriad of different needs when purchasing groceries, so the desire for feelings of happiness and escapism will not revolutionise every product category or consumption occasion, he warned. “However, this area definitely offers valuable pockets of growth and manufacturers should look to develop products that more clearly help people enjoy ‘feel-good’ moments of consumption that in turn help them to take a break from daily stresses.”
Canadean’s conclusions were based on its survey of 2,000 UK adults, conducted in January 2015.
